By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA —THE Senate Peace Committee, which was inaugurated two weeks ago, with a mandate to urgently restore peace in the red chamber, appears to be facing serious threats, following insistence of senators, who have suits in courts, not to withdraw them.

The Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, had while inaugurating the committee on April 21,charged members not only to reconcile all aggrieved senators but also address all issues affecting the Senate and submit its report within seven days.

But the committee could not meet up with the deadline on the submission of its report, expected last Thursday.

Vanguard gathered that the committee might not even round off its activities in the next two weeks due largely to some weighty issues that may take it weeks to tackle.

It was gathered that the committee’s efforts at getting litigant senators to withdraw their suits in courts against the Senate leadership was rebuffed as they insisted that such was not part of the agreements reached, which led to the formation of the reconciliatory committee.

Chairman of the 12-member committee, Senator James Manager, PDP, Delta South, could not confirm or deny that the litigant senators were opposed to withdrawing their suits in court, while speaking to Vanguard on telephone.

He merely said the committee was yet to touch on the issue of withdrawal of the suits, adding that it would soon get there.

Asked whether the delay in the committee’s assignment was hinged on the refusal of the litigant senators to heed to that term, Manager said: “I can confirm to you that we have not got to that stage, but hopefully in few days.”

The insistence by senators, who have pending issues in courts against the Senate leadership to go ahead with the suits may affect the success of the peace being sought.